Fox News Guest Looks Into the Camera to Appeal to Trump on Syria: ‘I’m Speaking to You Directly’

A Fox News guest advocating for US military intervention against Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria turned away from the network’s host and looked directly into the studio’s camera to talk “directly” to Donald Trump, as the president has a well-known addiction to cable news.

Bassam Rifai of the Syrian American Council appeared on the network to discuss the recent chemical weapon attack that was reportedly carried out by forces tied to Assad, but rather than talking to the Fox News anchor, Rifai opted to speak to the most powerful member of the network’s audience:

“The president needs to take swift and decisive action right now. President Trump, I’m speaking to you directly. Do not [make] the same mistake that President Obama had made. The action that you had taken in Khan Shaykhun to take out the airbase there, that was important — and that was strong. That was a very strong message. But what we need to do right now is to take out the Assad’s air force, if we ground all his air force he won’t have the capability to attack Syrians from the air anymore.”

While Trump has a history of pushing policy ideas based on Fox News’ coverage of different issues, Rifai’s “plea” — as the host described it — may be the most overt attempt at appealing to the president from the conservative network’s studios.